182 MELANESIA AND ITS PEOPLE. 
pigeons boom out their melancholy note, reminding one of a cow lowing 
for its calf. Often, again, the course of a river (like that at Mwadoa, 
Ulawa), with its succession of cascades and its deep, clear pools, con- 
strains our admiration. 
The islands of the Floridas more especially appeal to the eye. ‘They 
have more open spaces, the coast line is more indented, and beautiful 
bays abound; there are more islands lying off the coast, the beaches 
are more numerous, and the landing on them is easy. The villages 
in Florida nestle under the shade of innumerable coconut trees just 
above high-water mark. ‘The beaches are lined with the feathery 
casuarina and here and there are coral trees (Erythrina indica) with 
their brilliant red flowers, or the gorgeous red leaves of the salite 
(Catappa terminalis) light up the whole beach with the glow of their 
dying splendor. ‘The huge masses of the vutu (Barringtonia speciosa) 
spring right out of the salt water and their biretta-shaped fruits may be 
seen floating on every tide. Going north from Norfolk Island, the 
sight of a floating fruit of the vutu was generally the first sign of our 
entrance into the tropics. Similarly the mighty limbs of the dalo 
(Fiji dilo, Calophyllum inophyllum) are washed by every wave and its 
small ball-like fruit is found lying on every beach. The smell of the 
sweet-scented white flowers of the dalo reminds one of nothing so much 
as of an orange grove in flower. 
But the real attraction and charm of Melanesia lie in the mystery 
of the people, their unwritten past, the strangeness of their languages, 
their views of life, their habits and customs, the strange flora of the 
country, the birds and butterflies, some of these latter measuring 8 or 
9 inches across, the excitement of a landing among the Heathen, the 
yearnings of soul, the longing to do them good, to lead them out of 
their darkness into light, to give them something more satisfying than 
the tobacco or calico or knife which they are clamoring for—these 
are the things that grip the heart of the missionary and constitute for 
him at least the charm of Melanesia. One stands on a beach of the 
great island Malaita, and all the fibers of one’s being are stirred by 
the sight of hill rising upon hill, cape stretching out beyond cape, and 
by the knowledge that scattered all up and down the land are souls 
awaiting the enlightenment of the spirit of God. 
THE FOOD-STUFFS OF MELANESIA. 
The Melanesians may be called an agricultural people and a great 
deal of their time is given up to cultivation. Their two main crops 
are yams and taro, of both of which there are numerous varieties. The 
best yams are grown in the southern part of Melanesia; the Solomon 
Islanders never have enough yams to carry them through the summer 
months till harvest time in April, all the yams having been used for 
planting. But in the larger islands there is extensive cultivation of 
